PANAMA CITY — It has been a pretty steady summer when it comes to the unemployment rate in Bay County, with the numbers locked into the mid-6 percent range.

The May unemployment rate in Bay County was 6.3 percent, and it rose to 6.6 percent in June but settled back to 6.5 percent in July.

This past spring, the unemployment rate dropped from 6.7 percent in March to 6.2 percent in April.

Still, the numbers are much better for Bay County than they were last winter, according to the Gulf Coast Workforce Board.

In January, the unemployment rate was 8.7 percent and dropped to 7.8 percent in February and has continued to drop since then.

Of the 24 workforce regions in the state, unemployment in the Gulf Coast region — Bay, Franklin and Gulf counties — ranks fourth lowest in the state at 6.5 percent in July, according to the board.

“Locally, we are seeing positive indicator,s including growing job opportunities in the manufacturing and construction industries, some of the hardest hit sectors during the economic downturn,” said Kim Bodine, executive director of the Gulf Coast Workforce Board. “We are also seeing many jobs being created as General Dynamics (Information Technology Inc.) ramps up hiring for their call center to open in Lynn Haven.”